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LewWaters
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 Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 6:31 am Post subject: Kerry allows Navy release of military, medical records |
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| Quote: | Kerry allows Navy release of military, medical records
Show numerous commendations
By Michael Kranish, Globe Staff | June 7, 2005
WASHINGTON -- Senator John F. Kerry, ending at least two years of refusal, has waived privacy restrictions and authorized the release of his full military and medical records.
The records, which the Navy Personnel Command provided to the Globe, are mostly a duplication of what Kerry released during his 2004 campaign for president, including numerous commendations from commanding officers who later criticized Kerry's Vietnam service.
The lack of any substantive new material about Kerry's military career in the documents raises the question of why Kerry refused for so long to waive privacy restrictions. An earlier release of the full record might have helped his campaign because it contains a number of reports lauding his service. Indeed, one of the first actions of the group that came to be known as Swift Boat Veterans for Truth was to call on Kerry to sign a privacy waiver and release all of his military and medical records. |
REST OF ARTICLE
This only raises more questions than it answers. Since there is nothing new or substantive, why the two year refusal? On Free Republic, it's said there are now only about 40 records, or slightly more released. Judicial watch was told there were about 100 that couldn't be released? What happened to them?
All I can see is what was expected, a "sanitized" copy of his records.
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Navy_Navy_Navy
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| Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 7:37 am Post subject: |
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Hell, he had many more than 100 documents posted on his web site!
I counted them when that Judicial Watch thing came up and he had something like 149 documents from his personnel file posted.
Will be interesting to see the "new" documents. Those evals probably aren't new - they're probably another case of a non-military entity reading an eval and taking it at face value, just as they did before the election.
Kerry's evals were pretty solidly dissected by people who know evals and all the code words and flags contained within them.
As I recall, there was one critical page missing from one of CDR Elliott's evals? It was the page that had the actual marks - the write-up was present, but the marks page was missing from Kerry's site. Maybe that will turn up - and if it's in line with the marks pages on some of his other evals, it could be a real corker.
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LewWaters
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| Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 7:49 am Post subject: |
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Also found the following;
| Quote: | ANOTHER KERRY DISCHARGE
Before Memorial Day weekend, Sen. John Kerry sat down with editors of his hometown newspaper, the Boston Globe and announced that he had signed the form SF 180, authorizing the Department of Defense to grant access to all his military records. This, more than a year after he had claimed the press and public had seen all there was to see from his military record.
Only one problem: according to several sources who formerly worked on the Kerry campaign, the senator expects that little to nothing new will be in the files that are released. "He's fairly confident that there is nothing in there that would be considered embarrassing or controversial," says a former adviser of Kerry.
According to another former campaign staffer, there was talk late in the campaign that Kerry and senior advisers had previously filed a request for the documents from the Defense Department, and had viewed the file that would be made public. "If he did, there was nothing earthshaking, or else you would have seen people go into defense mode," says another former campaign staffer.
But why is Kerry -- if he actually has gone ahead -- signing SF 180 now? During the election cycle, the New York Sun was the only newspaper of record to delve into Kerry's odd military and post-military career. The paper's reporting -– which included background quotes from a former Harvard Law School administrator stating that Kerry's application to the school may have been scuttled due to issues surrounding his background and military service -- led many to believe that Kerry's record would be dynamite material. After all, how does a man who attended the best private schools and Yale undergrad end up going to what was then a mediocre Boston College law school? |
ANOTHER KERRY DISCHARGE
I'm also wondering why his "records" are released only to the Boston Globe? Bush'd were released to the general public, best I remember.
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Navy_Navy_Navy
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| Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 8:04 am Post subject: |
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From the second story:
| Quote: | Kerry campaign staff when presented with the N.Y. Sun story last fall never addressed the issue directly, and some believe the SF 180 document will answer a number of those unanswered questions from the campaign.
"Our greatest fear as a campaign was that someone enterprising enough would figure out a way to get to those files through other sources and means and do to Kerry what we did to Bush's National Guard files," says one of the former Kerry staffers. "But as time went by, it became clear that there just wasn't anything out there. We were safe."
But this time around, it may not be Republicans looking for dirt about Kerry. Some Democrats with an eye to 2008 are interested in seeing Kerry taken down a couple of notches, taking him out of play for another run at the White House. |
LOL! Yep - eating their young, already!
Like we haven't all seen this coming???? Geesh, somebody could scoop a real story, if he'd just visit this board for hints as to where to look, next, hm?
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Dimsdale
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| Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 1:47 pm Post subject: |
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Similarly, if this release indisputably "exonerated" Kerry, why isn't he (or his Dem masters) crowing about it, using it to stick a finger in the eye of the Swiftees? And as the article mentions, if it is so squeaky clean, his refusal to release it during the election, when it could have made a difference for him, was politically stupid, something I would not expect from a man who made his career through political expediency.
Until someone I trust can freely go through the entire raw file, I will have to assume that Kerry is once again lying and obfuscating.
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Me#1You#10
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| Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 1:55 pm Post subject: |
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This article is an exercise in "reading between the lines"...what's there and, perhaps more importantly, what's not there. Having read this story several times, I'm left with the distinct impression that Kranish is hedging his bet. The tone of the story is markedly different than the combative, vindictive, righteous indignation approach he (The Globe) took pre-election and he has (perhaps for future deniability) included several open-ended observations that simply cry for further investigation. This paragraph is telling...(emphasis mine)...
| Quote: | | By signing Form 180 now, Kerry may hope to achieve several goals: settle the question of whether there is an explosive document in the file; put pressure on critics to release their military records; and try to put to rest an issue that dogged his 2004 campaign and would probably come up again if he seeks the presidency in 2008. |
Now, Kranish, assumedly, has read the docs in question. Is the best he comes away with merely an observation that Kerry, now, might "HOPE" to settle the question of an "explosive document in the file"? Tell us Michael, as newly appointed guardian of the vault, does it, in YOUR opinion, settle the issue or not?
The most GLARING omission is ANY reference to the question of Kerry's discharge status. Given the focus on that unresolved issue, it is remarkable that Kranish simply chose to ignore even the mention of the word (maybe not TOO remarkable at that). It seems almost laughable that a credible recounting of the issues involved wouldn't even mention an observation that, perhaps, no new light was shed.
The LAST word Kerry wants to see in print is "DISCHARGE" and Kranish has been most cooperative.
It also remains to be seen what level of journalistic integrity remains within the MSM. Here's question #1 for their vaunted investigative prowess..."Why a selected release only to the Globe? What are we, chopped liver?".
On edit: One other item that makes me go hmmmm. On the Boston.com website, the "release" of Kerry's records plays second fiddle to the story about his Yale grades...an odd prioritization indeed.
Last edited by Me#1You#10 on Tue Jun 07, 2005 3:08 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Me#1You#10
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| Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 2:08 pm Post subject: |
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Powerline weighs-in...
| Quote: | From the mixed-up files of John Kerry
Today's Boston Globe reports on the contents of John Kerry's full military and medical records: "Kerry allows Navy release of military, medical record." According to the Globe, the only previously undisclosed records are commendations from commanding officers. In the words of the great Peggy Lee song, "Is that all there is?" Either Kerry is the world's worst politician, or something is missing from his file.
Of lesser interest is the Globe article on Kerry's undergraduate record: "Yale grades portray Kerry as lackluster student." The Globe subhead seems calculated to get under Kerry's skin: "His 4-year average on par with Bush's."
Power Line |
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manelly
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| Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 3:42 pm Post subject: |
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Apparently - Kerry made his records available only to Michael Kranish of the Boston Globe. http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/004656.php
THAT shouldn't Surprise any of us tho  http://www.drudgereport.com/dnc89.htm
The picture I printed from this web page on 8/7/04 has the other front page cover.
"Kerry * Edwards, Their Plans and Promises'
"With an Introduction by Michael Kranish of the Boston Globe"
"Plans and Promises " cover seemed IMO to have been dumped after blogs and forums started talking about Kranish being kerry campf lap dog reporter 
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Me#1You#10
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| Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 7:20 pm Post subject: |
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Well...it's been an interesting day thus far reading the reaction to this story and, I'm afraid, another flim-flam of grand proportions is afoot. It appears that everyone (to include Rush and now, apparently Sean Hannity) is focusing on the "grades" angle as THE ostensible rationale for Kerry's reticence to produce an appropriately filled-out SF 180.
THAT is the story Kerry wants the media to focus upon...and it appears, at this early stage, to be working.
Many can empathize with the embarrassment of underformance in academia and the reticence of a "pseudo-intellectual" to have his own record unfavorably compared to that of his oft-derided opponent. Few can empathize with fraudulently obtained awards, activities bordering on treason (to say nothing of actual treason), a less than honorable discharge or, perhaps, even worse...a dishonorable one.
IMHO, the grades story is a feint, and a clever one at that. It will be interesting to see if my instinct on this one is affirmed by the collective wisdom of this forum and the blogosphere.
On edit: Beldar has weighed-in and the comments are an interesting read...
| Quote: | Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Kranish and the Boston Globe should post Kerry's records for public review
Today's Boston Globe contains two articles by staff reporter Michael Kranish that discuss Navy records pertaining to Senator (and failed presidential candidate) John F. Kerry. The articles say that the Globe obtained the records pursuant to a Standard Form 180, signed by Sen. Kerry, which named the Globe as the party to whom the records were to be directly released. In one article, Mr. Kranish asserts:
The lack of any substantive new material about Kerry's military career in the documents raises the question of why Kerry refused for so long to waive privacy restrictions. An earlier release of the full record might have helped his campaign because it contains a number of reports lauding his service. Indeed, one of the first actions of the group that came to be known as Swift Boat Veterans for Truth was to call on Kerry to sign a privacy waiver and release all of his military and medical records. The second article focuses on Kerry's Yale undergraduate grades and concludes that Kerry was a "lackluster student" whose grade average was "virtually identical" to Dubya's. (Although in fact Kerry's grades appear to be slightly worse, both can fairly be characterized as "lackluster.")
Although both articles make interesting reading, I can't help feeling considerable skepticism about their conclusions.
Mr. Kranish and the Globe have indeed sometimes been critical of Sen. Kerry. But at other times — in particular with their trashy and unethical treatment of Captain George Elliot — they've skewed facts in ways that have been extremely beneficial to Sen. Kerry. And sometimes they've simply made incredible and inexcusable factual bloopers that likewise worked to Sen. Kerry's benefit — as, for example, in their biographical book "John F. Kerry: The Complete Biography by the Boston Globe Reporters Who Know Him Best," in which they described Sen. Kerry as "a man who was severely wounded in combat [and] who watched men under his command die." As I wrote last summer, the first statement is absolutely false. Kerry's wounds were trivial, but this egregious factual mistake about them wasn't. The second statement is unsupported and almost certainly an exaggeration.
Moreover, despite Mr. Kranish's subjective conclusion that the records he's reviewed contain no "substantive new material," his articles utterly fail to address, either in detail or in summary form, some of the most controversial questions about Sen. Kerry's war service — including in particular the questions regarding Sen. Kerry's discharge.
The Boston Globe should immediately post all the records, and the signed Standard Form 180, as .pdf scans on their website. Perhaps they already plan to do so, and simply haven't gotten the scans made yet. But even were there no past examples to create doubts about the Globe's and Mr. Kranish's objectivity and accuracy, those members of the public who are inclined to study the actual source documents — rather than accepting as gospel Mr. Kranish's pre-digested conclusions — should have the chance to do so.
If the Globe and Mr. Kranish feel themselves to be precluded from posting the source documents because of some lack of further authorization from Sen. Kerry or other privacy concerns, they should disclose the facts about that.
The Rathergate memos were only debunked when the public was able to examine them. Perhaps Mr. Kranish's and the Globe's analysis of the new records has been fair, balanced, accurate, and complete. But there's no excuse for preventing the public from seeing the source documents.
(Mr. Kranish's email address is kranish@globe.com, and the Globe's online feedback form can be accessed through this link. And there are many, many links to blogospheric reactions similar to mine at Michelle Malkin's, Captain Ed's, and Tom Maguire's blogs.)
Please visit Beldar Blog which has numerous hyperlinks |
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Me#1You#10
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| Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 8:15 pm Post subject: |
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Matt Margolis from "Blogs for Bush" has posted a comment he solicited from John O'Neill....
| Quote: | UPDATE III: I asked Swift Boat Veteran For Truth John O'Neill for a comment, he tells me:
We called for Kerry to execute a form which would permit anyone to examine his full and unexpulgated military records at the Navy Department and the National Personnel Records Center. Instead he executed a form permitting his hometown paper to obtain the records currently at the Navy Department. The Navy Department previously indicated its records did not include various materials. This is hardly what we called for. If he did execute a complete release of all records we could then answer questions such as (1)Did he ever receive orders to Cambodia or file any report of such a mission (whether at Christmas or otherwise); (2) What was his discharge status between 1970 and 1978 (when he received a discharge) and was it affected by his meetings in 1970 and 1971 with the North Vietnamese? (3)why did he receive much later citations for medals purportedly signed by Secretary Lehman who said he did not know of them; (4) Are there Hostile Fire and Personnel Injured by Hostile Fire Reports for Kerry's Dec. 1968 Purple Heart (when the officer in charge of the boat Admiral Schacte, the treating Surgeon Louis Letsos (sic), and Kerry's Division Commander deny there was hostile fire causing a scratch) awarded three months later under unknown circumstances.
Posted by Matt at June 7, 2005 12:31 PM
Blogs for Bush |
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The bandit
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| Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 9:01 pm Post subject: |
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I don't trust the Globe or Kranish when it comes to revealing info on Kerry. Example, in June 2003 Kranish wrote:
"In an effort to understand a fuller picture of Kerry's combat in Vietnam, the Globe examined thousands of recently declassified Naval documents; interviewed sailors who served alongside Kerry; conducted four interviews with Kerry; and read some previously unreleased journal entries and letters selected by the senator."
Thousands??
It doesn't appear the Globe will release what they received from the Navy either? USA Today made all Bush records available in PDF on their site where they still can be found today.
Most interesting thing about Kranish's article is not what it contains, but what it doesn't contain: namely any mention of Kerry's seperation papers. |
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Aristotle The Hun
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| Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 9:31 pm Post subject: |
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"IMHO, the grades story is a feint, and a clever one at that. It will be interesting to see if my instinct on this one is affirmed by the collective wisdom of this forum and the blogosphere. "
Yeah. Kerry is actually listening to someone who is a good strategist. But what is hidden now will be shouted from the rooftops.
Sam
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kate
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| Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2005 1:51 am Post subject: |
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| Navy_Navy_Navy wrote: | Hell, he had many more than 100 documents posted on his web site!
I counted them when that Judicial Watch thing came up and he had something like 149 documents from his personnel file posted.
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Info from Judicial Watch
| Quote: |
Sep 16, 2004 Contact: Press Office
202-646-5172
NAVY TELLS JUDICIAL WATCH IT WILL NOT RELEASE ADDITIONAL KERRY DOCUMENTS
Navy Personnel Command Confirms Additional Unreleased Kerry Service Records Exist
“No comment” from Navy on FOIA Legal Review of KerryRecords
No Record of Kerry’s Discharge Certificate Maintained by Navy
(Washington, DC) Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, said today that the U.S. Navy Personnel Command, in response to a Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) request, has refused to release additional documents on the naval service of Senator John Kerry. The Navy’s response the Judicial Watch’s FOIA request contained a biographical data sheet on Kerry, two citations and one certificate for the Silver Star medal, two citations and one certificate for the Bronze Star medal, and three sets of orders and certificates for the Purple Heart. In an irregular response to a government records request, the Navy’s letter referred Judicial Watch to the Kerry campaign Internet site for “Numerous responsive U.S. Navy service record documents, as well as service record documents not subject to disclosure requirements under the FOIA . . .”
Questions concerning when the Navy conducted a FOIA review and legal review of Kerry’s records were answered “No comment” by Navy Personnel Command FOIA Officer Dave German, during a telephone interview today with Judicial Watch Director of Investigations and Research Chris Farrell. Navy Public Affairs Officer Mike McClellan monitored the telephone interview. In a subsequent e-mail to Mr. Farrell, Mr. German wrote, “We have withheld thirty-one (31) pages of documents from the responsive military personnel service record as we were not provided a release authorization.”
Judicial Watch also sought Senator Kerry’s Discharge Certificate (DD Form 256N) from the U.S. Navy under the provisions of the FOIA. Mr. German stated that the U.S. Navy issues the DD Form 256N to the discharged service member, but does not maintain an official copy of the certificate in the service member’s record. A copy of Senator Kerry’s DD Form 256N discharge certificate was not available on his campaign Internet site as of this writing.
“It will be difficult to obtain these hidden documents if John Kerry continues to refuse to authorize their release. In the hundreds of open records FOIA requests Judicial Watch has made to the government, I can point to no instance where we were referred to a political campaign Internet site in the response,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
The Navy’s FOIA response is available on the Internet by clicking here |
the link referenced is to the pdf, which includes the letter from Navy, and the few documents they enclosed. Obviously Kerry hadn't done a blanket release, and apparently hasn't now
I picked this comment up at another forum..FWIW
| Quote: | re: the Navy's DOD Special Discharge Review Program under the Carter Administration
Had Kerry been subject to the Review, he would have received a new DD214(Report of Separation)and DD-257.(Discharge)
The original DD214 and DD-257 would have the data regarding improper actions by the applicant which is submitted for review. Once the new Report of Separation and Discharge are issued, the negative data is scrubbed..............but it still exists on the original in the file at BuPers (The Navy's Personal Files) It can only be accessed by the Sailor who owns the file but can be reviewed by the VA in the event that the Sailor has made claims that can be rejected because of actions they were responsible for that are contained on the Original Record!!
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The bandit
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| Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2005 3:08 am Post subject: Re: Kerry allows Navy release of military, medical records |
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| LewWaters wrote: | | Judicial watch was told there were about 100 that couldn't be released? What happened to them? |
You are confusing Judical Watch with the Wash. Post. Judical Watch was told by the Navy (or whoever) that there was 31 pages that could not be released.
Here is what the Post said:
| Quote: | | Although Kerry campaign officials insist that they have published Kerry's full military records on their Web site (with the exception of medical records shown briefly to reporters earlier this year), they have not permitted independent access to his original Navy records. A Freedom of Information Act request by The Post for Kerry's records produced six pages of information. A spokesman for the Navy Personnel Command, Mike McClellan, said he was not authorized to release the full file, which consists of at least a hundred pages. |
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Me#1You#10
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| Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2005 3:43 pm Post subject: |
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The Kerry shell game continues apace today with an offering by Stephen Braun of the LA Times...here's a few morsels...
(note: a variation of this story (Kerry belatedly releases military, medical records) was picked up by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune...I highlighted in red the only portion of these clips that the Star-Tribune elected to publish)
| Quote: |
Kerry Makes His Military, Medical File Available
The former presidential candidate's Vietnam records, including a missing document, offer no surprises. Critics say papers are incomplete.
By Stephen Braun, Times Staff Writer
June 8, 2005
<snip>
Kerry said in a statement Tuesday that he had provided "unprecedented access" to his military and medical records during the campaign "and now months after it ended." In releasing the file, he said, "the facts speak for themselves and as these records prove, once again the right wing is wrong."
(me#1 - I seem to recall Kerry and his campaign protesting vehemently that a full disclosure of records had already been made. That has now morfed into "unprecedented access")
<snip>
O'Neill expressed doubt that Kerry's latest document release included material from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. But David Wade, a Kerry spokesman, said that the request to Navy Personnel Command to release documents extended to all government record repositories.
(me#1 - sounds bogus to me, but I'll leave this one to the experts to fisk...of course, Mr. Wade could simply produce the signed SF 180 to buttress his claim...has that yet dawned on the MSM?)
<snip>
Navy archives are sometimes incomplete, and Kerry's latest document release contained no new information on any of those controversies. But it did include the missing first page of a two-page evaluation from 1969. That document indicated that Kerry would have been selected for "accelerated promotion" and described him as "one of the top few" in his officer group — the highest rank available.
(me#1 - Almost assuredly, this is the missing Page 1 of the Streuli fitrep, the FIRST acknowledgement of the incompleteness of Kerry's campaign document dump that I've seen in the MSM...this needs to be examined closely)
<snip>
A less flattering portrait of Kerry shows up in other documents in the file. Correspondence from Navy officials reveals that soon after leaving Vietnam, Kerry took pains to make sure that all his wartime commendations were documented in his military file.
(me#1 - The medal hunter doing his thing)
LA Times - cont'd
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